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For many years, apple cider vinegar has been linked with an array of health benefits, according to an article in Medical News Today.

These have ranged from aiding weight loss to relieving cold symptoms. But does taking it help people with diabetes?

The majority of the health claims around apple cider vinegar have yet to be supported by clinical research. However, evidence has been emerging to suggest that apple cider vinegar may have certain benefits for the management of type 2 diabetes.
This article will discuss the research behind this claim and how apple cider vinegar should be taken, if at all.

What is apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar derives from cider or fresh apples and is produced after a slow process that breaks down sugars.
Vinegar can be made from nearly any carbohydrate. Apple cider vinegar is derived from cider or freshly pressed apple juice.

Like most vinegars, apple cider vinegar is produced after a slow process spanning several weeks or months in which sugars are broken down.

Mother of vinegar is a cobweb-like substance made from yeast and bacteria that builds up during this period. Mother of vinegar gives the vinegar a cloudy appearance and it is only present in unfiltered apple cider vinegar. It is thought to boost the vinegar’s nutritional value.

However, most vinegar is pasteurized. This heating process kills bacteria but prevents mother of vinegar from forming.

Apple cider vinegar and diabetes
In 1980, there were around 108 million people with diabetes worldwide. Its prevalence has increased greatly over the past few decades to an estimated 422 million. Diabetes is a chronic condition marked by an inability to manage blood sugar levels appropriately.

The hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels is called insulin. People with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce this hormone. People with type 2 diabetes are unable to produce enough insulin or respond appropriately to the hormone.

People can also develop a related condition known as prediabetes. This is where an individual may have blood sugar levels that are high, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Developing methods that help the body to regulate blood sugar levels efficiently is the most effective strategy in managing diabetes. Maintaining a healthful, balanced diet and regular exercise are crucial lifestyle factors that can help to achieve this.

Some evidence also suggests that consuming apple cider vinegar may be useful in helping people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.

One study demonstrated that apple cider vinegar reduced blood sugar levels and had a positive impact on cholesterol in rats with and without diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes
Studies suggest that a small amount of apple cider vinegar may help to reduce blood sugar levels after a spike following a meal high in carbohydrates.
In humans, researchers have looked at how consuming apple cider vinegar alongside a meal high in carbohydrates affected blood sugar levels in participants who had type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, or neither condition.

Meals high in carbohydrates typically cause a spike in blood sugar levels immediately after eating. However, less than an ounce of apple cider vinegar significantly reduced blood sugar levels across all three groups following the meal, compared with the consumption of a placebo drink.

Another study in patients with type 2 diabetes compared apple cider vinegar with water. The authors found that consuming 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a cheese snack before bedtime was enough to significantly lower blood sugar levels the following morning.

This finding suggests that apple cider vinegar could also help to reduce fasting blood sugar levels. This refers to blood sugar levels after 8 hours without eating or drinking anything except water. Fasting blood sugar levels serve as a baseline measure of a person’s blood sugar levels.

It is thought that a component of apple cider vinegar called acetic acid may slow down the conversion of complex carbohydrates into sugar in the bloodstream.

This provides more time for sugar to be removed from the bloodstream, allowing the body to keep blood sugar levels constant and limit spikes. This is also a theory underlying the effects of several different diabetes drugs.

Type 1 diabetes
While consuming apple cider vinegar could help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels, it could be harmful to those with type 1 diabetes.

The inadequate digestion of food is a common complication for people with diabetes. Called gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying, it means that food can remain in the stomach for an abnormally long period of time without being digested.

These delays in the digestive process make it harder for the body to consistently control blood sugar levels. A team of Swedish researchers found that apple cider vinegar increased the time in which food remains undigested in stomach of people with type 1 diabetes.

It is important to note that a majority of the studies within this area have been conducted using small sample sizes and findings have not always been consistent.

A large-scale, randomized control trial to find out how apple cider vinegar affects blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes has yet to be conducted.

Any impact that apple cider vinegar might have on the regulation of blood sugar levels is likely to be relatively small compared with maintaining a healthful, balanced diet and regular exercise.

Based on the available evidence, apple cider vinegar could help people with type 2 diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. More research is needed for large-scale recommendations. Its consumption in moderation has yet to be linked with any significant harms or side effects.

How is it consumed?
Apple cider vinegar may be consumed diluted in water or used in marinades and salad dressings.
People who wish to consume apple cider vinegar are best diluting 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water. It should be consumed before meals and there may be benefits associated with consuming it just before bedtime.

As with most vinegars, it is not recommended to consume undiluted apple cider vinegar. When drunk on its own, it can cause stomach irritation or damage to tooth enamel.

Apple cider vinegar can also be used as a versatile cooking ingredient. It is suitable for use in salad dressings, marinades, sauces, and soups. It works well with many meats and fish.

People are most likely to see the distilled varieties of apple cider vinegar on sale, which has a clear, see-through appearance. However, it is better to search for the unfiltered, cloudier varieties as they contain mother of vinegar and are more nutritious.

Summary
People with type 2 diabetes may want to consider diluted apple vinegar cider given that it is safe to consume and may provide some benefit to blood sugar level control. However, the evidence behind its benefits is still lacking.

It is important for people to note that apple cider vinegar should not be considered a quick fix for diabetes. Eating a balanced diet low in carbohydrates, high in fiber, and exercising regularly are the most effective methods of controlling diabetes.

Advancing age causes a significantly decreased resting metabolic rate.This can lead to age-related increases in body fat along with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Ageing individuals often find themselves overweight or obese which means a reduced life expectancy.

Dieting can trigger a further meta- bolic slowdown. In several studies, scientists have found that replenishing the levels of a DHEA metabolite known as 7-Keto reverses the age-related decrease in metabolic rate in just 7 days.This translates into reductions in weight and body mass index in just 8 weeks!

How 7-Keto Works

Scientists are beginning to uncover the mechanisms of action behind the remarkable ability of 7-Keto to reverse the age-related decrease in resting metabolic rate and to produce various anti- ageing benefits.

Liver Enzymes

Scientific studies indicate that 7-Keto power- fully boosts levels of three liver enzymes that result in stimulation of fatty acid oxidation:

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Malic enzyme

Fatty acyl CoA oxidase

These enzymes accelerate a heat-generating process called thermogenesis, which promotes the burning of fat reserves. Because this thermo-genic effect reverses the age-related decrease in resting metabolic rate, this may explain 7-Keto’s ability to decrease weight and body fat.

Thyroid Hormone

Supplementing with 7-Keto results in elevated levels of the T-3 thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolic activity, which declines with age.This explains another potential mechanism by which 7-Keto triggers reductions in body weight and body fat.

Interleukin-2

7-Keto has been shown to enhance the production of interleukin-2 in human lymphocytes.When interleukin-2 reacts with its corresponding receptor sites on cell surfaces, it stimulates production and differentiation of various T-lymphocytes, which in turn trigger production of other immune agents.

The result is a broad enhancement of the immune system, which is normally weakened by advancing age.

DHEA is the body’s most abundant hormone, but its production peaks in the 20s and steadily declines, leading to age-related hormonal imbalances.

DHEA is converted by the body into androstenedione, which is then converted into the male and female sex steroid hormones, estrogen and testosterone. This conversion is highly individualised and some people could end up with excess levels of these sex hormones–which could pose a risk if any of those individuals have a hormone-dependent disease, such as prostate or breast cancer.

Unlike DHEA however, 7-Keto does not trigger higher sex hormone levels.That means that supple- menting with 7-Keto may be a safer way for some peo- ple to benefit from these anti-aging effects including enhancing the immune system, reducing age-related memory loss, and improving cholesterol profiles.

Philadelphia: Fruits with stones, such as peaches, plums and nectarines, help protect against several ageing diseases, according to new research from the US.

The findings of research scheduled for presentation at the 244th American Chemical Society meeting, to be held August 19-23, 2012 in Philadelphia, reveal a protective effect from consuming these fruits, against against metabolic syndrome–a cluster of factors that predict obesity-related diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease.

Texas AgriLife Research food scientist Dr Luis Cisneros-Zevallos said: “In recent years obesity has become a major concern in society due to the health problems associated to it.

“In the US, statistics show that around 30 percent of the population is overweight or obese, and these cases are increasing every year in alarming numbers.

“The major concern about obesity is the associated disease known as metabolic syndrome,” he observed.

“Our studies have shown that stone fruits – peaches, plums and nectarines – have bioactive compounds that can potentially fight the syndrome, ” Dr Cisneros-Zevallos reported.” Our work indicates that phenolic compounds present in these fruits have antiobesity, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties in different cell lines and may also reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL.

“Our work shows that the four major phenolic groups–anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives and catechins–work on different cells –fat cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells,” he continued. “They modulate different expressions of genes and proteins depending on the type of compound. However, at the same time, all of them are working simultaneously in different fronts against the components of the disease, including obesity, inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“Each of these stone fruits contain similar phenolic groups but in differing proportions so all of them are a good source of health promoting compounds and may complement each other,” he concluded.

Melbourne:
Putting on weight in later life increases the risk of men developing age-related
macular degeneration (AMD), researchers in Australia have discovered.

Even
small increases in waist size seem to raise the risk of AMD by up to 75 per
cent. But women do not appear to be affected.

The
reason may be the hormone oestrogen which woman have in higher levels all their
lives.In men abdominal fat releases
oestrogen which causes inflammation in the blood vessels behind the eyes.

In
the Australian study, researchers at the University of Melbourne examined changes
in the waistlines of more than 21,000 men and women, aged between 40 and 69,
over several years and tracked how many went on to develop AMD.

They
concluded that the chronic inflammation caused by obesity was involved in AMD.

But
the Australian team found that for each increase of 0.1 in the waist/hip ratio,
a man’s chances of developing AMD increased by 75 per cent.

AMD
affects older people, usually after the age of 50. The numbers affected are
likely to increase as the ageing populations increase in developed nations. The
report suggests that healthy eating earlier in life helps prevent the disease.

Nine
in ten cases involve ‘dry AMD’, which develops over several years. The rest
involve ‘wet AMD’, which can cause blindness in a matter of months.

It
is caused by the growth of new blood vessels over the macula, a small
oval-shaped area at the back of the eye that helps us pick out visual details
clearly.

Treatment
involves monthly injections into the back of the eye of drugs designed to curb
the growth of abnormal blood vessels. Given early enough, it can help to
prevent complete loss of vision.

The US watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration, has yet to decide whether diet pill, Meridia, should stay on the market after a report revealed that it may cause heart attack and strokes in some individuals.

Meridia, also known as sibutramine, was first approved in the US in 1997, but a large study released last November shows that people who took the drug had an 11% risk of cardiovascular events, while those who took a placebo had a 10% risk.

The study, called the SCOUT trial, prompted regulators to order the drug off the market in Europe. And demands for it be banned in the US are now being made.

Meridia: Risks vs. Benefits

Meridia has been shown to reduce weight in many patients – on average 4% more body weight below what they might lose with a placebo, an amount considered a modest benefit. About one-fifth of patients lose more. But the drug also causes increases in heart rate and blood pressure, both of which pose a danger to patients with cardiovascular disease.

Patients with known cardiovascular disease are not meant to be prescribed teh drug. But experts said they were troubled that many patients with undiagnosed disease could be at greater risk if they use the drug to lose weight.

The FDA’s own monitoring linked 14 deaths to the use of Meridia.The patients who died were in their 40s 71% were women.

Conflicting Viewpoints

The Public Citizen Health Research Group,in the US, which first petitioned FDA to ban Meridia in 2002, says the drug poses a “deadly tradeoff” between modest weight loss and the danger of heart attack and stroke.

Others say Meridia can be made safe by closely monitoring things like patients’ pulses and blood pressure readings.

Abbott, which manufactures Meridia, had pledged step up warnings and educational efforts for doctors and patients if the drug is allowed to stay on the market.

Meridia’s popularity has plummeted in recent years, particularly since the release of the Scout trial’s data in November. Only an estimated 280,000 prescriptions were filled last year in the US.

The FDA now has to decide if the clear benefits of even modest weight loss to most patients is worth a rise in cardiovascular risk in some of them. The FDA will also likely consider what vital signs doctors should monitor, and how often they should monitor them, to minimize the drug’s risks.

London: Still got a pair of jeans in the back of the cupboard you cant wait to get back into? Youre not alone….

A nice pair of jeans ticks both the boxes when it comes to fashion and comfort, and as the years have gone by theyve remained an enduring style staple in many a closet.

Over a third of women (35%) admit to owning trophy jeans, a pair they used to fit into and aspire to fit into again in the future. These jeans held on to as physical reminder of when they felt they looked their best  are frequently used as an inspiration to women to lose weight.

There are close to 130m pairs of jeans across the UK, with each woman owning an average of five different pairs. But these perfect jeans have been with many of us for so long that we have celebrated a crystal anniversary with them! One in ten women aged 55+ say theyve held onto their jeans more than 10-15 years, according to new research.

These trophy jeans are also seen as offering the promise of more happiness than many of lifes seminal moments. One in five women say the elation of fitting into their goal pair could evoke more euphoria than attending their best friends wedding (21%) or even winning the lottery (20%). In fact, around one sixth of those women (16%) would forego more than £10,000 just to fit into their slim jeans! 2.3m women said achieving that jean dream would be better than a £25k lottery win.

As fashion is cyclical, chances are many womens goal jeans will be back in fashion in 2010! On average women have held on to their goal jeans for 3 years with one in six women holding onto their trophy jeans for the length of time theyve been at their job (18%), and a further one in ten women admitting their perfect jeans have outlasted their longest relationship, according to the research by Kelloggs Special K as part of their Love Your Jeans Again campaign.

Psychotherapist Elisabeth Wilson said, For many women having a motivational milestone is absolutely vital to their success and moreover their sense of achievement. 70% of the women surveyed said they would consider fitting back into their goal jeans a considerable achievement theyd be very proud of and it’s well documented that visualising themselves wearing their goal jeans is the kind of positive imaging that will help them achieve great results. This combined with the power of positive thinking, support from others and a plan to kick-start a healthy lifestyle leads to real results.

New York: Trials of a Danish-made injectable drug called liraglutide (trademark name Victoza) have revealed that it reduces weight and the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in obese people without diabetes.

High doses of liraglutide, were also found to cause greater weight loss than orlistat (marketed over-the-counter as Alli), according to a report in the medical magazine, The Lancet.

In developing countries obesity levels have risen dramtically in the past two decades and in some European countries 30% of the population are overweight. Around 50% of all adults in Europe are classified as overweight.

Obesity increases the risk of degenerative diseases including high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, and all risk factors for heart disease.
Moreover, obesity is associated with a reduced quality of life. Few safe and effective drugs are currently available for the treatment of obesity. Therefore, alternative approaches to weight loss that are safe and well tolerated and that can lower the risks associated with obesity are needed. In this randomised controlled trial, the authors studied the effect of liraglutide on bodyweight and tolerability in obese individuals without type 2 diabetes.

The study, led by Professor Arne Astrup, Department of Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, took place in 19 sites in Europe, and analysed 564 people (18-65 years, body-mass index 30-40 kg/m²). Each was assigned to 1 of 4 liraglutide doses (1.2 mg, 1.8 mg, 2.4 mg, or 3.0 mg, n = 90-95) or to placebo (n = 98) administered once a day subcutaneously, or to orlistat 120 mg (n = 95) administered orally 3 times a day. All participants also followed a calorie-restricted diet, which contained approximately 500 calories less than they needed each day. Participants also increased their physical activity throughout the trial, including the 2-week run-in.

Participants on liraglutide lost significantly more weight than did those on placebo and orlistat. Mean weight loss with liraglutide doses 1.2, 1.8, 2.4 and 3.0 mg was 4.8 kg, 5.5 kg, 6.3 kg, and 7.2 kg respectively, compared with 2.8 kg with placebo and 4.1 kg with orlistat. A higher proportion of individuals (76%) lost more than 5% weight with liraglutide 3.0 mg than with placebo (30%) or orlistat (44%).

Liraglutide reduced blood pressure at all doses. At the start of the study, around one-third of patients in each group had pre-diabetes, that is, poor blood glucose control not yet bad enough to qualify as diabetes. Liraglutide reduced the prevalence of pre-diabetes (84%-96% reduction) with 1.8-3.0 mg per day.

Nausea and vomiting occurred more often in individuals on liraglutide than in those on placebo, but adverse events were mainly transient and rarely led to discontinuation of treatment.

The authors say: “Treatment with liraglutide, in addition to an energy-deficit diet and exercise programme, led to a sustained, clinically relevant, dose-dependent weight loss that was significantly greater than that with placebo (all doses) and orlistat (vs liraglutide 2.4 mg and 3.0 mg).”

They conclude: “The results of this study indicate the potential benefit of liraglutide, in conjunction with an energy-deficit diet, in the treatment of obesity and associated risk factors. Liraglutide offers a new mode of action for the treatment of obesity and improved efficacy compared with currently available therapies. Its effect on pre-diabetes suggests that it might be important for treating obese pre-diabetic individuals.”

They add that further studies, with longer follow-up than 20 weeks, are now needed to establish the long-term risk-benefit profile for liraglutide.

In an editorial accompanying the article, George A Bray, MD, Division of Clinical Obesity and Metabolism, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says: “Today’s important report shows a dose-related reduction of food intake and bodyweight in overweight and obese individuals treated with liraglutide.”

Dr Bray adds that one limitation to the use of drugs such as liraglutide is that they require an injection. He says: “Whether long-term use of an injectable drug is palatable as a treatment for obesity is yet to be established.”

Whether youre twenty or fifty the hour glass figure remains the body shape the majority of us aspire to. With over two thirds of the nation wishing they had the classic Marilyn curves, it would seem that the boyish body personified by Twiggy in the sixties and Kate Moss in the nineties and noughties is somewhat outdated.

In a landmark study, commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kelloggs Special K, over 2,000 women across the UK were surveyed to examine the key influences that have impacted on the female body ideal and the things that have boosted and bruised our confidence over the last five decades.

The results showed that real women are resolutely rejecting perfection and demanding more honesty to inspire better shape confidence. Key body shape boosters include seeing shapely women on TV rather than size zero models, curvy celebrities with hunky boyfriends (such as Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson), and older actresses such as Helen Mirren baring all for nude scenes.

As well as applauding women in the public eye who are honest about their bodies, British women believe influencers like the media could and should do more to inspire real women. Well someone who knows a thing or two about the pressures of staying in shape is TV presenter and mum Kirsty Gallacher. After almost a decade in the spotlight, the recently engaged star talks frankly about her body and how she maintains her classic hour glass shape.

Boston: Obesity, among other factors, is strongly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss, according to a study published in the August issue of the magazine Radiology.

“We have isolated demographic and MRI-based risk factors for progressive cartilage loss,” said the study’s lead author, Frank W. Roemer, M.D., adjunct associate professor at Boston University and co-director of the Quantitative Imaging Center at the Department of Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine.

As obesity is one of the few established risk factors for osteoarthritis, it is not surprising that obesity may also precede and predict rapid cartilage loss. Weight loss is probably the most important factor to slow disease progression.
Risk Factors for MRI-detected Rapid Cartilage Loss of the Tibio-femoral Joint over a 30-month Period: the MOST Study.

Tibio-femoral cartilage is a flexible connective tissue that covers and protects the bones of the knee. Cartilage damage can occur due to excessive wear and tear, injury, misalignment of the joint or other factors, including osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 27 million Americans, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down and, in severe cases, can completely wear away, leaving the joint without a cushion. The bones rub together, causing further damage, significant pain and loss of mobility.

The best way to prevent or slow cartilage loss and subsequent disability is to identify risk factors early.

“Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive disorder, but a minority of patients with hardly any osteoarthritis at first diagnosis exhibit fast disease progression,”

Dr. Roemer said. “So we set out to identify baseline risk factors that might predict rapid cartilage loss in patients with early knee osteoarthritis or at high risk for the disease.”

The researchers recruited patients from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) Study, a prospective study of 3,026 people, age 50 – 79, at risk for osteoarthritis or with early x-ray evidence of the disease. The study is funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Roemer’s study consisted of 347 knees in 336 patients. The patient group was comprised of 65.2 percent women, mean age 61.2, with a mean BMI of 29.5, which is classified as overweight. Recommended BMI typically ranges from 18.5 to 25. Only knees with minimal or no baseline cartilage damage were included. Of 347 knees selected for the study, 20.2 percent exhibited slow cartilage loss over the 30-month follow-up period and 5.8 percent showed rapid cartilage loss. Rapid cartilage loss was defined by a whole organ magnetic imaging score of at least 5, indicating a large full thickness loss of 75 percent in any subregion of the knee during the follow-up period.

The results showed that the top risk factors contributing to rapid cartilage loss were baseline cartilage damage, high BMI, tears or other injury to the meniscus (the cartilage cushion at the knee joint) and severe lesions seen on MRI at the initial exam. Other predictors were synovitis (inflammation of the membrane that lines the joints) and effusion (abnormal build-up of joint fluid).

Excess weight was significantly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss. For a one-unit increase in BMI, the odds of rapid cartilage loss increased by 11 percent. No other demographic factors–including age, sex and ethnicity–were associated with rapid cartilage loss.

“As obesity is one of the few established risk factors for osteoarthritis, it is not surprising that obesity may also precede and predict rapid cartilage loss,” Dr. Roemer said. “Weight loss is probably the most important factor to slow disease progression.”

AT A GLANCE

* Researchers using MRI have identified risk factors for rapid cartilage loss in the knee.
* People with a high body mass index (BMI) may be at increased risk for rapid cartilage loss and osteoarthritis.
* Osteoarthritis affects 27 million Americans.

Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/)

RSNA is an association of more than 43,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. www.RSNA.org

New York: Slightly overweight people live longer than those of a “healthy” weight, according to new research.

The researchers in the US and Canada concluded that a person’s weight was not the full picture in good health. It is better to be plumpish and exercise than to be slim and sedentary, the study found

For instance, a stressed-out, sedentary person of normal weight may be in worse shape than a plumpish individual who exercises and keeps stress levels under control.

The researchers tracked the health and habits of more than 11,000 Canadians for 12 years.

The men and women were divided into five categories based on their Body Mass Index, calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by their height in metres squared.

Using pounds and ounces, the weight in pounds is multiplied by 703 and divided by the height in inches squared.

This means that a 5ft 10in man weighing 11st 2lb would have a BMI of 22.3, placing him within the ‘normal’ weight range.

A rating below 18.5 is regarded as underweight, above 25 is overweight and above 30 regarded as obese.

Those with a BMI of above 35 were classed as extremely obese.

During the period studied, the underweight were 70 per cent more likely to have died than those of normal weight, followed by the extremely obese. However, the obese lived roughly as long as those of normal weight.

Those classed as overweight, meaning they were carrying a stone or so too much for their height, were 17 per cent less likely to have died, the journal Obesity reports.

Researcher David Feeny, of Kaiser Permanente Northwest Centre for Health Research in Oregon, said: ‘It’s not surprising that extreme underweight and extreme obesity increase the risk of dying but it is surprising that carrying a little extra weight may give people a longevity advantage.’

Dr Feeny, who falls into the overweight category, said there could be several explanations for the result.

For instance, concern about the health of the overweight and obese may mean that problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes are more likely to be spotted and treated, improving health.

And those who start out slightly heavier will have more reserves to call on should they lose weight due to ill health as they get older.

New York: A woman who went on an intense grapefruit-based diet developed a blood clot in her leg and risked losing the limb, US doctors have reported.

The unusual case, written up in the Lancet medical journal, occurred in Washington state in November last year.

Medics concluded grapefruit had affected the way the 42-year-old’s body processed her contraceptive pill.

In November 2008, the woman came to the casualty department of the Providence St Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington state.

The day before, she had gone on a long car journey, after which she felt pain radiating from her lower back down to her left ankle.

When she arrived at the hospital she was experiencing difficulty walking, shortness of breath, and light-headedness.By the next day her left leg had turned purple.

The woman was generally in good health but was slightly overweight and had decided to diet.

Three days before falling ill, she had begun a crash diet which included eating 225g of grapefruit each morning, after rarely eating the fruit in the past.

When doctors examined her, an ultrasound scan confirmed the woman had a large blood clot within the veins of her left leg, which stretched from her hip down to her calf and she was deemed to be at risk of losing her leg because of gangrene.

The woman was given clot-busting treatment and had a stent, a kind of tube, fitted in order to widen her vein.

The doctors treating her said a number of risk factors had contributed to the woman developing the clot.

She had an inherited disorder which increased her risk, as did being on the combined Pill. Being immobile in a car probably also contributed to the clot forming.

Writing in the Lancet, the authors led by Dr Lucinda Grande, called it a “constellation of potential risk factors”.

But they added: “The increased [oestrogen] serum concentration due to her three days of grapefruit for breakfast may well have tipped the balance.”

They suggest the fruit blocked the action of a key enzyme that normally breaks down the form of oestrogen in her contraceptive.

A spokesman for the Florida Department of Citrus – an executive agency of Florida government which markets, researches and regulates the state’s citrus industry, said: “The Lancet report looks to be inconsistent with published scientific studies which indicate grapefruit does not cause a clinically significant interaction with oral contraceptives.

“We are aware of no validated evidence that grapefruit affects oral contraceptives, and they are generally considered to be safe to consume with grapefruit.”

London: The controversial diet pill Acomplia has been banned by European safety chiefs, over concerns that it may be linked to suicide in vulnerable individuals.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has ordered doctors to stop prescribing Acomplia now following several deaths, including a suicide and reports of other adverse reactions. It is already banned in the US.

The UK’s, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence approved the drug four months ago. At that time there were warnings on the packet about the increased risk of depression, anxiety and other ‘serious’ side effects. The EMA also warned that Acomplia should not be taken by patients with major depression or on antidepressants.

Now the EMA has suspended the medicine’s licence because the ‘benefits no longer outweigh its risks’.

It said: “New data from post-marketing experience and ongoing clinical trials indicated that serious psychiatric disorders may be more common than in the clinical trials.”

Patients taking Acomplia are advised to see their doctor or pharmacist

Acomplia, also known as rimonabant, was licensed for the treatment of obesity and overweight patients with type 2 diabetes.

In medical trials. the drug demonstrated that it was helpful to two out five patients in loosing up to 10 per cent of their body body weight.

But a scientific review in The Lancet medical journal found a 40 per cent higher chance of being harmed by ‘adverse events or serious adverse events’.

The pill, made by the French firm Sanofi-Aventis, works by interfering with a system in the body which controls energy levels, reducing the cravings for food and helping to prevent fat from being deposited.

Acomplia costs £44 a month in the UK, and is marketed in 18 European countries.

London: Overweight, tired, skin problems and infertility are just some of the symptoms of food intolerence.

Many people suffer from food sensitivities /intolerencewithout knowing it. A food sensitivity is a reaction that you may not notice directly, symptoms may appear days after eating the substance, but it may be responsible for various “minor” illnesses such as chronic fatigue, overweight, chronic inflammation, migraine, arthritis, skin problems, poor mood and attention span, breathing difficulties, gastro-intestinal orders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, sugar cravings, premature ageing, infertility and other conditions. This is different from a true allergy in that the reaction to the offending substance will usually happen immediately.

The ALCAT test examines the reaction of your living blood cells to foods and other substances so that you can tailor your diet for optimum health. This is not a test for true allergies. The IGE/IGG antibody response test is more suited to allergies.

There is a significant difference between the ALCAT test and IgG tests. The ALCAT test analyses the changes in the size (swelling and inflammation) and number of the white blood cells when the whole fresh blood is exposed to the individual test substances. There are many ways (mechanisms) by which the white blood cells’s may be triggered and that result in the release of inflammatory chemicals and the generation of damaging free radicals. IgG antibodies are also often present but block rather than cause reactions. Studies show that the ALCAT test correlates very well with double blind oral challenges with both foods and food additives. IgG does not. New studies show that the ALCAT test also correlates well with cytockine release where the IgG test does not. The consumer watchdog magazine WHICH recently criticised food intolerence tests other than ALCAT – read what they said here WHICH REPORT

The ALCAT test can also be used to screen for a whole host of substances that IgG cannot; such as, food additives and colourings, moulds, environmental chemicals, certain common anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.

The ALCAT test, requires the patient to give a blood sample and examines the reaction to 100 most common foods costs £199.99(includes VAT).

The Alcat Test is unique. Your Alcat test results are contained in a detailed report of the bodys reaction to 100 common foods and substances including wheat, yeast and dairy. * These are category coded: red (severe intolerance, avoid at all costs for six months), orange (strong intolerance, avoid for 3-6 months), yellow (mild intolerance, avoid for three months/eat on rotation), green (acceptable, eat on rotation).

Even when dieting, the foods you eat may be preventing you from losing weight. Recent information has shed light on why some people will benefit from a diet and others will not. Our immune system reacts to the foods we eat and reactions to particular foods affect each of us differently.

In a study from Baylor Medical College in the US, researchers examined the effects of avoiding offending foods, or what is commonly referred to as hidden food allergies, were compared with low calorie dieting. The researchers were not only looking for changes in scale weight, but also a much more important measurement called body composition. Body composition is the ratio of fat to lean tissue. It is an important concern with regard to weight loss because the loss of lean tissue, as opposed to fat, is unhealthy. Lean tissue burns calories, even when youre not exercising. Loss of lean tissue, rather than fat, can set you up for the yo-yo diet effect.

In order to determine a persons hidden food allergies the Baylor researchers used a simple blood test, developed by ALCAT. They collected 100 subjects for the study who were having difficulty losing weight. Half of the subjects followed their Alcat test results and ate whatever they wanted as long as it was not indicated by the test as being a problem food. The other fifty subjects restricted their caloric intake, but did not eliminate problem foods indicated by the Alcat test.

Measurements of scale weight and body composition were taken at the beginning of the study and again one month later. The difference between the two groups was startling, 98% of the subjects following the Alcat eating program were successful in either losing weight and/or improving body composition. The calorie restriction group as a whole actually got worse, not necessarily heavier, but they lost more muscle than fat.

To the researchers, this study demonstrated that merely restricting food intake, without eliminating foods that inhibit metabolism, will not enough improve metabolic function necessary for healthy and long lasting weight loss.

Many doctors use the Alcat test as a valuable weight loss tool. Dr. Steven Lamm, author of, Thinner at Last, says, I have seen the (Alcat) technique work when absolutely nothing else has made the scale budge.

Even low carb advocates like Dr. Fred Pescatore, the former associate Medical Director of the Atkins Center and author of the bestseller, The Hamptons Diet, says, Ive been using the Alcat test in my practice for eight years. No other test is as accurate or useful.

Listen to Dr Pescatore in this video interview;

When asked why the Alcat test works so well with weight loss, ALCAT states: The wrong foods cause chronic inflammation which disrupts metabolism. Incompatible foods also disturb brain chemistry, thus causing food cravings. The allergic response also sets the stage for water retention and, for some, digestive disorders. Weight gain is caused by many factors, including our unique ability to metabolize foods. When dieting, each of us needs our own diet.”

Several thousand people, aged 40 to 74, were monitored over a 22-year-period, during which time 412 developed the disease.

Results showed that those with higher levels of vitamin D had the lower risk of diabetes. In particular, men with the highest blood level of the vitamin were 72 per cent less likely to develop the disease.

It is thought that low levels of vitamin D affect the body’s ability to produce insulin.

Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body by sunlight and it is also found in certain foods such as oily fish.

Diabetes is a growing problem, particularly in ageing adults and those who are overweight, particularly with high levels of belly fat are most at risk.

London: Acomplia, a weightloss pill banned in the US over concerns that it may increase the risk of suicide has been given approval for patients in the UK.

The once-a-day pill which is also available in Germany and France can now be prescribed by the public health authority, the National Health Service, to patients who have failed to loose weight on other pills such as Xenical and Reductil.

It has failed to get US authorisation because it it thought to increase suicidal thoughts in people already suffering from depression.

The European Medicines Agency has already issued a warning highlighting the fact that it may ber unsafe for anyone suffering from depression or taking anti-depressant drugs.

It has demonstrated success is helping two out of five patients shed 10 per cent of their weight.

All women diet but 57% of them say not one of the diets they’ve tried has worked, according to research by My Health Coach, the new weight game from Nintendo.

Slimmers are bombarded with information on dieting wherever they go, and as a result are trying every fat-busting fad there is. Every woman polled had tried some form of fad diet or eating regime but 57% said no diet had actually worked for them in the long term.

Only 5% of British women can say they never think about dieting or weight loss. 14% think about it on a weekly basis and 12% think about dieting or start a new diet every single day. This obsession appears to be caused by social pressures with 48% of women saying they feel they’re expected to live up to catwalk models.

Although we clearly do want to be slimmer, 51% of women said they lack the motivation to make it a reality. Over a third fail to facilitate themselves in weight loss by exercising alongside their diet. These findings beg the question: are we asking too much of ourselves in terms of body image or are we not pushing ourselves hard enough to achieve our goals?

London: A gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes has been discovered as part of a study published today in the journal Nature Genetics.

The study also shows that the gene sequence is significantly more common in those with Indian Asian than European ancestry. The research, which was funded by the British Heart Foundation, could lead to better ways of treating obesity.

Scientists from Imperial College London and other international institutions have discovered that the sequence is associated with a 2cm expansion in waist circumference, a 2kg gain in weight, and a tendency to become resistant to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. The sequence is found in 50% of the UK population.

“Until now, we have understood remarkably little about the genetic component of common problems linked with obesity, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” said Professor Jaspal Kooner, the paper’s senior author from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. “Finding such a close association between a genetic sequence and significant physical effects is very important, especially when the sequence is found in half the population.”

The study shows that the sequence is a third more common in those with Indian Asian than in those with European ancestry. This could provide a possible genetic explanation for the particularly high levels of obesity and insulin resistance in Indian Asians, who make up 25% of the world’s population, but who are expected to account for 40% of global cardiovascular disease by 2020.

The new gene sequence sits close to a gene called MC4R, which regulates energy levels in the body by influencing how much we eat and how much energy we expend or conserve. The researchers believe the sequence is involved in controlling the MC4R gene, which has also been implicated in rare forms of extreme childhood obesity.

Previous research on finding the genetic causes of obesity has identified other energy-conserving genes. Combining knowledge about the effects of all these genes could pave the way for transforming how obesity is managed.

“A better understanding of the genes behind problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease means that we will be in a good position to identify people whose genetic inheritance makes them most susceptible,”
added Professor Kooner. “We can’t change their genetic inheritance. But we can focus on preventative measures, including life-style factors such as diet and exercise, and identifying new drug targets to help reduce the burden of disease.”

The research was carried out as part of the London Life Sciences Population (LOLIPOP) study of environmental and genetic causes of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in approximately 30,000 UK citizens of Indian Asian and European ancestry. The scientists looked at the association between unique genetic markers, called single nuclear polymorphisms, and physical traits linked with obesity, such as waist circumference and insulin resistance.

“The studies we carry out through LOLIPOP are providing unique and important data,” explained lead author Dr John Chambers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London.
“The number of people involved, the comparisons between two ancestries, and the detail with which we can explore genetic and environmental effects are helping us identify crucial linkages.”

This research was carried out by scientists at Imperial College London, University of Michigan, USA, and the Pasteur Institute, France.

Download an embargoed copy of the paper here:FileExchange
(available until 16 May)

2. Imperial College London – rated the world’s fifth best
university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings – is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment – underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

3. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the UK’s heart
charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease. For more information visit bhf.org.uk

New York: A big waist by the time you reach your 40s, may triple the threat of dementia in old age, according to new US research.

Obesity is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s, but scientists found even those of normal weight were more at risk if they had a large waist.

However, the study, by health provider Kaiser Permanente used evidence from 6,500 people, is published in the journal Neurology, found obesity and bulging stomach was still the most dangerous combination.

An obesity expert said waist size was a good guide to several future health problems.Research linking obesity to dementia does not reveal precisely why being overweight can affect your ageing brain, but many specialists believe that associated problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels may contribute.

Thickness of fat around the waist is thought to correspond closely with its presence around the major organs of the body.

The latest study suggests that while the standard measure of obesity – body mass index – can help predict those at risk, the lifestyles which produce large bellies may have a closer relationship with the long-term causes of dementia.

Researchers working for Kaiser Permanente, one of the biggest healthcare providers in the US, looked at 6,583 people aged between 40 and 45, measuring their abdominal fat levels with calipers.

They then followed all of these people into their 70s to see who became ill, and who managed to maintain relatively good health.

They found the 20% of people with the largest waistlines had a 270% greater risk of dementia than those with the smallest waists.

Even those reckoned to be normal weight using body mass index calculations had approximately an 90% increased risk of dementia if they had a large rather than a small waist.

People who were measured as overweight or obese using body mass index, but who didn’t have a large belly, had an 80% increase in dementia risk but a combination of all these factors led to a bigger overall increase.

Being overweight and with a large waist raised the risk by 230%, but those who were large-waisted and were so overweight they could be officially classed as obese recorded a 360% rise in dementia risk compared to small-waisted people who met guidelines on normal weight.

Dr Rachel Whitmer, who led the research, said: “It is well known that being overweight in midlife and beyond increases risk factors for disease.

“However, where one carries the weight, especially in midlife, appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk.”

She said that autopsies suggested that the changes in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease started to appear decades before any symptoms became apparent.

Sydney: Scientists in Australia have found conclusive evidence that a high GI diet, generally rich in food that is burnt by the body quickly, leads to a higher risk of common lifestyle diseases.

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how different foods affect your blood glucose levels, with those that are “low GI” released more slowly and deemed better for health. This slow release means that less insulin is released into the bloodstream and the body’s stores less fat.

A team of nutrition experts at the University of Sydney evaluated 37 diet studies involving nearly two million people worldwide to analyse the effect of eating high GI foods, which are usually highly processed.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a link between a high GI diet and a high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.The diet was also linked to gall stones and some types of cancer.

Lead researcher, Alan Barclay said: “The key message from this study is that the GI of your diet is a powerful predictor of disease risk.Grandma was right, you are what you eat.”

He said the link with diabetes was “not surprising” because eating high GI foods inflates your blood glucose and insulin levels.

“You may literally ‘wear out’ your pancreas over time and eventually it may lead to type 2 diabetes in older age,” Mr Barclay said.

The researchers were more surprised by the “strong relationship” between GI and cancer.

High GI foods cause constant spikes in blood glucose which increase insulin and a related substance called ‘insulin-like growth factor one’, both of which have been shown to increase the risk of developing cancer.

“Other research shows that a high GI diet tends to reduce ‘good’ HDL cholesterol levels and raise triglycerides levels; bad news for cardiovascular diseases,” he said.

“And people with low HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels are more prone to gall stones.”

The researchers said their findings support eating a low GI diet to maintain healthy weight and help avoid disease.

Caryl Nowson, a professor of nutrition and ageing at Deakin University in Melbourne, said because high GI foods were typically high in fat and sugar and low in fibre, they were also ready known to be linked with disease.

“This review is just a new way of breaking down dietary information we already have,” Prof Nowson said.

She said while the benefits of eating according to GI rating had been proven, it was just one of many ways to structure a healthy diet.

London: As the number of people with diabetes continues to grow, the number of diabetics who have a heart attack has doubled over the last ten years, UK researchers say.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes, the form associated with being overweight, has grown in the UK from 1.4 million in 1996 to two million. Thousands more are believed to have the disease without realising.

And around 13,000 people with type 2 diabetes are now treated for a heart attack every year, compared with less than 6,000 in 1996.

Hospital admissions for other associated diseases such as strokes and angina has also doubled among diabetics, along with keyhole heart surgery, according to a new Imperial College in London and Leicester University.

They compared the records of cardiac treatments carried out in English hospitals between April 2005 and March 2006 with those from April 1995 to March 1996.

The analysis showed that diabetics accounted for 13.9 per cent of patients treated for a heart attack in the later period, up from 7.2 per cent a decade ago.

Angina admissions had more than doubled, from 6.7 per cent to 15.3 per cent, while the proportion of diabetics among those being treated for strokes had risen from 6.1 per cent to 11.3 per cent.

The researchers looked only at type 2 diabetes, the most common form. This is usually identified in middle age, although Britons’ expanding waistlines mean more children are being diagnosed with it.

Type 2 diabetes is often controlled initially with a stringent diet and exercise regime, but many sufferers will see their condition worsen over time and will eventually need tablets or insulin injections.

The high blood sugar levels among those with diabetes make them five times as likely to develop heart disease as the rest of the population.

San Francisco: Resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, may cure the symptoms of adult onset diabetes, according to the results of a new trial of a drug based on this ingredient.

The American company, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, says the trial demonstrates the drug is safe and cuts blood glucose levels, which are not controlled in diabetics, in results presented today at the 26th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. The findings could lead to a new drug to control Type 2 Diabetes which now affects millions and the number continues to grow.

The 28-day study of pills to deliver a control, 2.5 gram or five grams of what it called SRT501 each to roughly 30 patients with Type 2 Diabetes in India.

The drug is also being tested on 130 patients in a Phase 2 study in combination with metformin, a drug therapy for Type 2 Diabetes, and results are expected later this year. Any anti-ageing effects have yet to be established.

The drug targets an enzyme called SIRT1, from the sirtuin family of enzymes which control the ageing process. The new drug, SRT501 acts by increasing the activity of the mitochondria, the energy powerhouse of our cells, and lowering levels of glucose in the blood and improving insulin sensitivity.

In its approach to illness the clinic looks at the whole body and organ function in a series of comprehensive tests. These include “The Gold Standard” which includes 15 different types of diagnositics. Most of them are non-invasive: all are totally safe. The whole process takes only three to five hours – the result: a unique protrait of a person’s state of health, from the micro the macro, from the level of cellular metabolism and each individual body organ, to the working of the body as a coordinated, well-managed entity. The process is unique to this Moscow clinic.

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London: Patients taking anti-obesity drugs will only see modest weight loss and many will remain significantly obese or overweight, according to a study published on www.bmj.com today.

In a new study from Canada, which looked at the long-term effectiveness of anti-obesity medications, it was found that three drugs recommended for long-term use – orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant, reduced weight by less than 5kg (11 pounds). This equated to a loss of less than 5% of total body weight.

Whereas guidelines from the UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommend stopping the use of anti-obesity drugs if 5% of total body weight is not lost after three months.

While making changes to lifestyle and diet are recommended as the initial treatment for obesity, the use of anti-obesity drugs is common. Its estimated that in 2005 global sales of anti-obesity drugs reached $1.2billion. Current UK guidelines recommend using drug therapy in addition to making lifestyle changes if a patient has a body mass index of greater than 30.

The Canadian researchers reviewed the evidence from thirty placebo-controlled trials where adults took anti-obesity drugs for a year or longer. The mean weight of the volunteers in all of the trials was 100kg (15.7 stone). The mean body mass index levels were 35  36.

Professor Raj Padwal and colleagues found orlistat reduced weight by 2.9kg, sibutramine by 4.2kg and rimonabant by 4.7kg. They also found that patients taking the weight loss pills were significantly more likely to achieve 5  10% weight loss, compared to those who took the placebo.

The health benefits associated with taking the drugs varied. For example, orlistat reduced the incidence of diabetes in one trial and all three drugs lowered patients levels of certain types of cholesterol. Adverse effects were recorded with all three drugs, in particular, rimonabant increased the risk of mood disorders such as depression or anxiety. The authors noted that no trials examined rates of death and disease as a result of taking anti-obesity pills. They recommend that trials looking at this should be carried out in the future.

The authors also noted that there were high drop-out levels in all the trials. On average 30  40% of patients failed to complete the trial. They say this suggests that a failure to properly adhere to the treatment could be a major factor limiting the effectiveness of anti-obesity drug therapy.

In an accompanying editorial, Professor Gareth Williams warns of the potential damage to society if anti-obesity drugs are licensed to be sold without prescription. This already happens in the United States, and as Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) has applied to sell orlistat over the counter throughout Europe, it could happen here.

He warns: Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill and could further undermine the efforts to promote healthy living, which is the only long term escape from obesity.